Waking
by the-mysterious-other
Summary: After returning from the mysterious cave, Runt begins to suffer horrible nightmares. The most terrifying part, when he wakes up, whatever happened to him in the dream has happened to him in real life. Now, he has to find a cure, before his luck runs out.
1. Bad Dreams

**Hello again. Sorry this took so long, I've been pretty busy. I'm gonna try to make my updates more regular. Any way. Here is my second story. Enjoy!**

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><p>There were no stars or a moon. No noises rose from the forest. The only sound Runt could hear was the blood roaring through his ears. Even the sound of his paws striking the earth as he ran was absent.<p>

Runt didn't remember how he had gotten to this point. All he knew was that he was here, in the middle of the forest, with something after him. And that something was gaining.

He didn't know where he was. There were no discernible landmarks, just dead trees whose bare branches seemed to lean down and reach for him. The ground beneath him was bare and cold. Wherever this was, it wasn't Jasper Park.

His sides were cramping and his legs were on fire as he sprinted through the wasted forest. He felt light headed and like his lungs were about to explode. He couldn't keep it up much longer. And, when he collapsed, that thing behind him would be on him in a second.

_Have to keep moving!_ He told himself, _What would your siblings think if they saw you here?_ Unfortunately, that didn't motivate him like he hoped it would.

Suddenly, his survival instinct went into overdrive. He felt a new surge of adrenalin course through him. He could feel each jarring impact as his legs struck the ground. He could feel his pursuer getting further away.

_I'm gonna li-_

His celebration was cut short as his paw got stuck on a root sticking up from the ground. He felt a jarring pain in it as his leg was ripped out from under him. He tumbled forward several more feet before sliding to a halt. Before he could get up, he was surrounded.

Runt couldn't make out what his pursuer was. All he could tell was that there was more than one. They flashed past his field of vision so quickly he could barely make out a shape. Another darted in front of him from the other direction. He caught movement in his peripheral vision and spun around only to be greeted with another blur.

He was surrounded by them, whatever they were. They were too quick for him to escape their circle. There was no way out.

Runt felt the reality of the situation sink in. He had expected a gloomy despair to set in with the realization. However, all he felt was a new terror coursing through him. It felt like his heart might stop at any moment.

Suddenly, one of the creatures stepped into view. Even in the dark, Runt could make out the form. It was taller than a wolf and unnervingly thin. It made its way towards closer to him, glowing yellow eyes locked on him. It began to raise one of its spindly legs. Attached to its deformed paw was a set of blade like claws.

Runt stared at them silently, unable to move. The creature thrust its raised leg forward. Acting by pure instinct, Runt raised a leg to defend himself. He felt the claws rip through his skin. Pain shot through his leg as he let out a yelp.

That was when he woke up.

He was in his family's den, sleeping on his bed. There was no dead forest and no ethereal monsters. He let out a sigh of relief.

He figured that the nightmare was just a result of his being kidnapped by a deranged wolf two days before. He and his siblings were still shaken up over the ordeal with Nick. Which had been traumatizing, even for them.

Runt was having a harder time putting the mysterious cave behind him than his siblings. He could still feel the strange liquid erupting form the cave wall and coating him. He shuddered at the thought. However, he hadn't dissolved or dropped dead yet. He was even starting to get over it.

Runt repositioned himself and relaxed again, resting his head on his foreleg. He felt a sharp pain in his leg as he touched it and shot up. In the soft light cast by the moon into the cave, Runt saw three claw marks running across his legs, oozing blood.

He swallowed hard. There was no way he was going to sleep again that night.

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><p><strong>AN: Poor Runt, he just can't catch a break. I don't know why, but I enjoy writing about nightmares. I'm really looking forward to this story. I hope you all are too!<strong>


	2. The Morning After

**AN: Sorry for the wait folks. School is a killer. Anyway, just so you know, my stories will probably alternate between focusing on the pups and Humphrey and Kate. Guess which one this is!**

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><p>Runt groaned inwardly as he made his way to a small creek to wash out the strange cut on his leg. He was exhausted after spending the remainder of the night trying to figure out how he had received the strange wound.<p>

"Whatcha up to?" a voice called from behind him.

Runt sighed. "Hey Stinky, just… uh… getting a drink."

His brother wasn't convinced. There was something off about Runt. He had left the den as soon as he could and had been acting strangely the whole time he was in there.

Runt tried to turn and leave but Stinky followed him. He didn't want to explain how he had gotten the gash on his leg. Especially since he didn't know.

"Really, I'm just going to get a drink, I don't need you following me!"

"If you tell me the truth, I won't," Stinky replied.

"That sort of defeats the whole propose of this!" Runt snapped.

"So you are lying!" Stinky shouted triumphantly, "Why?"

Realizing he had no alternative, Runt turned around and showed him the claw marks.

"Where'd you get those?" he asked.

Runt took a deep breath. He could create an elaborate lie, but he was just too tired to try. "That's the weird thing, in my sleep."

"So, you scratched yourself in your sleep?"

"No. I don't think so." Runt looked at the marks on his leg. They were far too spaced to be made by a pup's paws.

"Then how?" Stinky was starting to get concerned.

"I had this weird dream," Runt began, "In the end this thing scratched me and I woke up. I thought that was the end of until I saw these." He gestured to his leg.

Stinky looked at him. He knew Runt wouldn't hurt himself just to back up a lie. And he had no idea why he would come up with this story. Runt had to be telling the truth, or what he thought was true.

"That's weird," he finally replied. "Should we tell someone about it?"

Runt shook his head. "Not yet. It might've been some weird accident. I'm not going to go around yelling that my dreams are trying to kill yet."

Stinky had managed to give Claudette a good reason for why Runt wasn't around. Runt had no idea what he said and he didn't care. He had found a comfortable patch of grass in the sun and was planning on catching up on the sleep he had missed. The pup curled up in the sunlight and let the exhaustion wash over him and carry him back out and into sleep.

A silver-furred she wolf stared at the small pup as he slept. She knew what was coming next. She swallowed a sense of guilt. It was Nick's fault. He had taken the pups in there. He was the reason this one would die.

She had contemplated saving him, she had the cure. However, she decided that, if the pup lived, it would only spark more interest in the cave. She couldn't let that happen. She had to hope that his death would thoroughly scare everyone away from it. Then, it would be worth it.

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><p>Runt fought against whatever it was that was pulling him down. His paws slapped against the surface of the murky water as he tried to reach the shore. The shadowy force began to pull harder on the poor pup. Water splashed into his face each time he brought a paw down. It became harder and harder to stay above the surface. His head would often dip and, if he was breathing, let a stream of water into his lungs.<p>

Between the coughing, gagging, and panting, he was unable to call for help. His chest was burning and he could feel each centimeter of his decent.

Somehow, this seemed familiar to him. Like something like this had happened to him before. He was in too much of a panic to try to remember anything. He didn't want to die. He had his whole life ahead of him. He couldn't just die.

Suddenly, the mysterious force weakened. It was still a struggle, but Runt managed to swim to the edge of the water. His paws almost slipped on a wet rock, but he got a good enough grip to pull half his body out of the water. The force was still pulling on him again and it required a good deal of strength to break free from it.

Runt looked up at the world around him. All he could see was darkness. That was, until the wolf stepped out. He was barely visible but still noticeable. He walked slowly and calmly toward the struggling pup.

"H-help," Runt managed to choke out.

The wolf stopped and sat down in front of the pool. He gave Runt a blank expression, the shadows covering most of his face. He lifted a paw and began to move it towards Runt.

The pup felt a rush of relief as the paw drew closer. The mysterious tug was beginning to grow stronger again. This was his last chance.

The wolf suddenly brought his leg down right onto Runts muzzle. He felt a searing pain shoot off from his nose. He released his timid hold on the rock and was about to be pulled back down into the depths when he suddenly found himself on his back in a patch of grass.  
>His paws instantly shot to his nose where he felt a steady stream of blood springing from it. He looked at the crimson on his paw and swallowed. It wasn't just a one-off thing, his dreams were trying to kill him.<p>

He needed advice. Someone who might know what was happening to him and wouldn't freak out. He couldn't risk his parents getting all overprotective, that wouldn't help. Which only left one wolf, Daria.

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><p><strong>I'm really enjoying writing this story. I hope you are enjoying reading it. Reviews are always welcome. I'll try to update again soon.<strong>


	3. Night Two

**AN: Hello everyone, sorry for the delay. Here is the next chapter. I hope to post the final too soon. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Night Two<strong>

"Runt, what a surprise!" Daria exclaimed as the pup entered the clearing she was lying in.

It had taken a couple of days before Runt realized she always knew who was coming and from where. Her other senses were extremely acute. Sometimes though, Runt swore she had some extra senses too.

"You're bleeding," she said suddenly, picking up the dried blood on his muzzle.

"Yeah, I had an… accident," he replied unconvincingly.

"Are you ok Runt? You seem, off?" She turned to face him, fixing her milky white eyes on him. Once she had pinpointed where his eyes were, she preferred to look at him there.

The pup took a deep breath. "Daria, have you ever heard of dreams that could actually hurt you? In the real world I mean."

The wolf looked surprised. She seemed to ponder it for a moment.

"Well…" She began hesitantly, "There is the whole mind-over-matter thing…"

"What's that?" the pup asked.

"Well…" Daria began, "Some believe that your mind has control over the matter around it, hints the name. Now, there are those that believe that this range of influence is much larger than oneself. Most, however, think of it more as the control of the body. It's like being able to control your entire body with your mind. More so than you already do."

"Like, controlling when you have to go to the bathroom?"

Daria snickered at Runt. "That, among other things. But, if that nightmare was very realistic, and you got hurt in it. Your brain might be so convinced the body was hurt, that it would actually make the wound appear."

"So, if you were scratched in a dream like that…" Runt began.

"…Your brain would rip open that skin in the same pattern. But the brain doesn't usually work that way. If it was possible, it must not be something natural. Something would have to cause it." Daria suddenly got worried. "Why are you asking about this?"

It was true that this conversation differed from their usual ones. Daria had always been able to see through Runt. Figuratively of course. He didn't want to tell her about the cave but knew she would fish it out of him eventually. So, he had decided to avoid her.

"Fringe science unit in Omega school," Runt replied, lying through his teeth. Though, that would be pretty cool. He would have to talk to his aunt about that.

"Alright," Daria replied. She knew he was lying but decided to let it pass. She could feel the tension in his small body. Something was wrong.

"So, um, one last thing," Runt began, "What could cause that?"

"I don't have the slightest idea," she replied.

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><p>That night, Runt was laying awake, thinking about what Daria had said. She was the smartest wolf he knew, and she was stumped.<p>

He felt his exhaustion creep in around him again, luring him off into sleep. It was so hard to fight. But with sleep came dreams, and his dreams seemed bent to kill him. This time, the monsters may move faster, or the thing in the water might succeed in pulling him down.

As he hovered on the brink of unconsciousness, his mind kept turning back toward the cave. This had started after Nick had dragged the pups down there. After he had gotten soaked in that strange liquid.

_That's it_, he thought suddenly, rising back to clarity, _Whatever was in that cave, it did this to me. I have to go back, find out what it was! There might be a cure!_

Suddenly, the crushing weight came down on his eyelids again. This time, he couldn't fight it.

_Tomorrow._

It was dark and damp. The soil around him was clinging to his fur. Runt looked up but could not tell the difference between the black sky and his soon to be grave. He heard the shuffling of the being above him as it gathered enough dirt to close him in. Runt took as deep a breath as he could but the weight of the earth sitting on him opposed it. In the end, with only a shallow breath in his lungs, Runt was covered by the earth. In the darkness of his grave, it didn't seem too different from the world above him.

Runt tried to move. He wanted to fight, to dig his way back up to fresh air. However, he couldn't fight the growing pressure as more and more dirt was piled onto him. He soon found himself paralyzed by the dirt.

He held on to that one breath as long as he could. The weight of the earth seemed unimaginable as it pressed down on his chest, trying to persuade him to sacrifice that last bit of life. The second he opened his mouth, it would fill with dirt. He'd suffocate in the dark and no one would ever know where he was. He'd die alone in the crushing darkness and deafening silence.

His lungs were burning and his head was getting light. Flashes of color erupted behind his closed eyelids. He fought every instinct that told him to breath. Either way, he'd die. He just hoped to pass out first so he wouldn't feel it.

Then, in that crushing darkness, a voice cut through the silence. It floated in softly but still cut like a knife through the earth around him. It came again and again, getting louder and louder. The earth itself seemed to shake as it called.

_Runt,_

_ Runt._

"Runt!"

"Wake Up!"

Runt opened his eyes and gasped for air. Each breath supplied him with dose of cool night air to sooth his burning lungs. His tightly wound muscles relaxed as he recognized the familiar walls of his family's den.

"Runt, are you alright?" Stinky asked. He had been trying to wake him for several minutes. When saying his name had failed, he had to shake his brother awake.

"Yeah," Runt managed between gasps. "Why?"

"I remembered what you said about your dream the other night. I was worried that it would happen again. When I woke up I checked on you. You were squirming around and holding your breath so I woke you up."

"T-thanks," Runt replied, "listen, I need you to cover for me tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

Runt took a deep breath. "I need to go back to that cave."

In the darkness of the den, Runt could see his brother's eyes grow wide.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No." Runt knew he had to tell someone about what had happened, he had just hoped it wouldn't be Stinky. "When Nick took us there, he had us check for booby traps, right?"

"Yeah, but we didn't find any," Stinky replied.

"Actually, I think I did. My paw sank into the wall and I was squirted with some weird liquid. It's the only thing I can think of that could possibly explain why my dreams are trying to kill me."

"And your solution is to go back to the cave that can make your dreams try to kill you?" Stinky asked. He wasn't convinced.

Runt took a deep breath. His relationship with his brother had always been up and down. There were days they got along just fine, and days they could barley tell they were related. He just hoped this day was one of the former.

"Listen, I just need you to trust me. Please. If there's nothing there, I'll come right back. Ok?"

Stinky sat quietly for a minute. He didn't want his brother to die, he just couldn't tell if that meant keeping him in the cave or letting him go.

"Fine," Stinky sighed, "But be back by noon. And keep my name out of this."

Runt smiled. "I'll leave first thing in the morning."

Stinky nodded and went back to his bed.

Runt did the same, but had no intention of sleeping, again.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm really enjoying exploring Stinky and Runt's relationship. I always felt like the movies could have expanded on those parts more, there's a lot of potential. I hope to update soon. Leave a review.<strong>


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